Run Gives Lions Road Setback

An 18-0 run hurt the Lions in a 78-70 setback to unbeaten San Diego Wednesday night.

LOS ANGELES -- After posting a 19-0 run last week, LMU saw it happen to them as San Diego used an 18-0 run to turn a five-point deficit into a 78-68 win over the Lions at Jenny Craig Pavilion on Wednesday night.

The balanced Toreros (11-8, 4-0) had 10 players score, four in double figures. They were led by Johnny Dee with 15 points as the Toreros finished 45 percent from the field and 42 percent from three, hitting 8-for-19. The Lions (8-10, 1-4) hit 41.5 percent, going 5-for-18 from long range after starting 1-for-11.

Anthony Ireland led all scorers with a hard-earned 19 points, hitting 7-for-16 from the field and not hitting his only three-pointer until 19 seconds left in the game. Ayodeji Egbeyemi added 14 and Ashley Hamilton 15. With the 15 points, Hamilton surpasses 1,000 points for his career, becoming the 14th player in LMU history to reach a 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career.

"Their defense did a good job of taking us out of our game and we didn't respond. We let them get hot at the end of the half and then didn't match their energy to start the second," said Head Coach Max Good. "They got a lot of extra opportunities tonight, especially in that run. Have to give them credit, they are a good team and showed why they are undefeated."

LMU had 17 turnovers that equated into a 23-12 edge in points off turnovers for the Toreros. San Diego also had 18 offensive rebounds, turning into 17 points. The Lions had 15 offensive boards for 15 points.

"We let them have way too many second chance points," said Good. "We started non-conference doing a good job of that, but of late that has really hurt us."

The Lions started hot early, taking an eight-point lead, 15-7, after a pair of Nick Stover free throws. San Diego would start to inch closer, cutting the lead to three. However, Bruce English answered with a jumper to five LMU a 30-25 lead with 6:10 to play.

With the jumper, the Lions were 11-for-19 from the field (57.9 percent).

That would be it for the next 10 minutes.

San Diego would go on a 10-0 run to end the half, hitting their fourth and fifth three-pointer of that half to give them a 35-30 lead.

The run would stretch to 18-0 with the first eight points of the second half as San Diego took a 43-30 lead. Okonji's three-point play with 16:24 to play ended the run.

The Lions shot 0-for-9 with eight turnovers during the Toreros' run, holding a 19-4 edge in points off turnovers at that point. San Diego shot just 39 percent in the first half but started the second half hitting six of their first seven shots for the double-digit lead.

It was all the balanced Toreros needed as they stretched the lead to as many as 18. The Lions would cut it to eight with just their third three-pointer of the game as Egbeyemi hit it from the left corner, making it 61-53 with 4:23 to play.

The Lions would cut it to eight several times just to see San Diego hit all 10 of their free throw attempts in the final 51 seconds. USD was 18-for-28 from the line (64.3) while the Lions once again was above 80 percent, hitting 21-for-24 (87.5 percent).

The Lions travel to San Francisco on Saturday, Jan. 19 for the WCC Game of the Week on Time Warner Cable SportsNet starting at 1:30 p.m. The game can also be heard on KXLU 88.9 FM.